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Replacing Your Vintage Car's Parts With New Car Parts


by Edward French


The hobby of car restoration can be made difficult if you have a particularly rare vintage car and you can't find the right car parts. Your amazing antique automobile may be a beauty when it's all completely restored, but how could you work on your vintage car restoration project when finding the right parts is like finding a needle in a haystack? So if restoring old cars happens to be your hobby, here are some tips to help you track down those elusive vintage car parts.

Okay, so it's not really a problem finding replacement parts for your 2000 Chevy, but if you've got a '55 to '57 or any vintage cherry from the time of DA's (the haircut, not district attorneys) and Elvis Presley, it suddenly becomes hard finding replacement parts. If you want to have easy access to vintage car parts, you can always go to your local junkshop, but really, do you think you can find working parts of substantial value there? When all those jalopies are sent to the junkshop, of course they will be freed of any salvageable parts, but a lot of old cars sent to the wrecking yard arrive before the fact, and the staff aren't always able to track down every car that gets sent there. Here's what you can do - explain calmly and clearly to a staff member what you need, and see if you can do some car part hunting on your own.

Here's the way it works at the junkyard - a whole cavalcade of old, worn-down cars would arrive and any useful parts would be thence removed, but the number of cars would be so overwhelming that the staff wouldn't be able to track down every one of them. Explain your situation to a member of this staff and ask to rummage through the car parts yourself. But remember that wrecking yards aren't exactly known for classic customer service, so you'll want to make your explanation as clear as possible.

Remember to do your homework before making your expedition to the wrecking yard - take pictures of your car and describe what you need on paper. Older parts may be traded in, and if a staff members sees it live, in the raw, they would know how it looks like and what to look for, so you'll want to bring them with you if applicable. And most importantly, don't leave home without researching - research is the most vital tool you have in your arsenal so you can get the exact part you need replaced, or get a close enough match if the exact same part is not available.

Because wrecking yards are often unsafe places to be, you have to exercise care and follow safety procedures as you rummage through those old parts. We suggest wearing a denim jacket or a sturdy pair of jeans at the very least, and being careful where you step. You may need to bring your toolbox, and you probably should, because again, wrecking yard staff may not be too helpful, and be alert at all times, because you just might find that hidden treasure in that pile of reject parts!




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